In a much appreciated sign of the coming spring, red-winged blackbirds have returned. Randy Rynd was the first to report singing red-wings near her Oak Bluffs home on Feb. 22, and since then there have been more arrivals.
On Feb. 26, Nancy Weaver spotted two at Tashmoo Springs and Richard Goldenberg found five at Hidden Cove. The next day Rich Couse had one at the Hoft Farm and Sea Williams and Bridget Dunnigan located one at Beth’s Way.
On Feb. 28, Janet Woodcock and Nancy Weaver observed one at Presbury-Norton Preserve, Lisa Maxfield watched one at Brush Pond, and Patsy Donovan found six visiting her feeders. On March 1, Matt Pelikan spotted a flock of 16 at Crystal Lake, and the MV Bird Club saw five: three at the Gay Head Cliffs and one at both Philbin Beach and Squibnocket Pond.
Common grackles have also arrived. Anne Culbert observed one at Brightwood Park on Feb. 25, Patsy Donovan found too many at her feeders on Feb. 28, Matt Pelikan spotted four at Crystal Lake on March 1, the same day that I had a noisy flock of 10 at home.
The next day the trio of Janet Woodcock, Nancy Weaver and Luanne Johnson located one at Cranberry Acres, and the duo of CJ Walsh and Bethany Weise watched one at Cove Meadow.
Shorebirds are also arriving. Small numbers of greater yellowlegs have been here through the winter. Bob Shriber spotted a flock of 18 at Lobsterville on Feb. 18 — well above the four or so that were there all winter.
Bridget Dunnigan and Sea Williams located one at the big bridge on Feb. 25, I found two in a salt marsh at Felix Neck on Feb. 28, and Matthew Born found four at West Basin Road on March 1, the same day that Shea Fee saw one at Cove Meadow.
I found three American oystercatchers at Little Beach on March 1, one more that the two that were present through January and February.
For songbirds, only one likely migrant was observed: Shea Fee found an eastern phoebe at Wasque on March 1.
I enjoyed Shea Fee’s comments about birding mindfully in last week’s column, about appreciating birds by watching their behaviors and observing plumage details. First, the two common loons I saw in Lagoon Pond on March 2 were both starting to molt into their striking black and white breeding plumage. Listen for them to soon start their wonderful yodeling.
Our songbirds have been singing for a while now. Matt Pelikan reports song sparrows, northern cardinals, house finches, Carolina wrens, mourning doves, black-capped chickadees and tufted titmice are all singing. But some are not singing their “normal” songs. At my house on the morning of Feb. 26, I heard virtually continuous fragments of songs from house finches, song sparrows and one American goldfinch. They were rambling on and on with short phrases from their normal songs and were likely immatures learning to perfect the muscular control of airflow through their syrinx, which is the organ that produces their songs. They will soon perfect this and sing their usual songs.
Not to be outdone, however, was a golden-crowned kinglet singing its full song, barely discernable amidst the din of the other songs. I also heard one singing by itself as I walked down Oklahoma avenue toward Lagoon Pond on March 2.
While we enjoy arriving migrants, the start of migration season also means that our winter residents start departing for points north. This can be hard to detect until all of a sudden we realize that they are gone. Most notable are lower numbers of American wigeon in Mud Creek. I counted 114 on Feb. 7 but Bridget Dunnigan and Sea Williams found only 22 there on Feb. 25. And there have been no reports of either the Eurasian wigeon or the Barrow’s goldeneye since mid-February.
Not all ducks are leaving though. Anne Culbert spotted six lesser scaup on Lagoon Pond near the shellfish hatchery on Feb. 25, and the MV Bird Club counted 21 lessers at Squibnocket Pond on March 1.
My impression is that black ducks are more abundant now. Jennifer Sepanara found nine black ducks at Blackwater Preserve on Feb. 25 and 47 more at Long Point on Feb. 26. I located 31 at Town Cove, 22 at the Sepiessa canoe slide on Feb. 27, and 34 along the Mattakessett Bay shoreline on March 1.
Other notable overwintering waterfowl include the lingering redhead, which I saw at at Tashmoo Springs on Feb. 26, and four ruddy ducks at Town Cove on Feb. 27. Chris Scott found six ruddies at Long Point on March 1.
The MV Bird Club spotted a woodcock at Toad Rock on March 1. As far as I know nobody has yet heard a woodcock displaying.
Our summer resident eastern towhees have yet to arrive but our wintering individuals are lingering Shea Fee found one at Cove Meadow on March 1, and it was seen again the next day by the duo of Bethany Weise and CJ Walsh. Nancy Weaver saw one at Tashmoo Springs on March 2.
Yellow-rumped warblers are also lingering, albeit in low numbers. Half of the 16 sightings in February were of single individuals. At the high end Luanne Johnson spotted eight at the Herring Creek in Aquinnah on Feb. 1. Five were found by Shea Fee at Philbin Beach on Feb. 15, and Jennifer Sepanara observed five in the State Forest on Feb. 21. This species has been quite scarce this winter.
The arrival of our nesting ospreys is eagerly anticipated but it is still early. In the meantime, many other species utilize osprey poles as elevated vantage points. I saw a pair of great black-backed gulls on the pole in the middle of Lagoon Pond on March 2. From a distance they looked very much like an osprey.
Please email your sightings to birds@vineyardgazette.com.
Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant with Nature Watch living in Vineyard Haven.
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